YD: And I give you the second chapter…


Return to Me, Salvation

When Atemu came to, Hikari's dragon form was still wrapped around him protectively. Immediately, he suspected something was wrong. Hikari never slept in her dragon form with him and Yuugi. Expecting the worst, Atemu did not open his eyes fully. His surroundings were dimmed. There was no one around.

Tentatively, Atemu ordered his Shadows to search the room. They did not reply. Now Atemu knew something was amiss. His Shadows did not disobey him lightly.

"Be at peace, son of Ra. You will come to no harm here." Atemu felt soothed by the voice. His eyes closed again. Then he rapidly sat upright. He stared into the face of one he had no recognition of.

The past week came flying back to him. The war was over. Bakura was dead. Yuugi was… gone. And he was alone. A choked sob escaped his lips. Hikari immediately awoke in response to her master's distress. She saw an unfamiliar face and paused. Hikari reverted to her natural form and jumped into the stranger's arms.

Atemu gaped. Hikari never warmed up to anyone so fast. The stranger laughed softly and stroked Hikari's fur.

"You are surprised? Have you forgotten your own beliefs? Millennia ago, you would have bowed to me in an instant."

Atemu quickly ran a list of people he worshipped. Yuugi… Yuugi… and Yuugi. No one else. So who was this woman? He gasped, realizing who she was. He almost tripped over himself trying to bow to her. Mentally kicking himself for his idiocy, Atemu kept his gaze trained downwards.

"Rise, son of Ra. You need not bow to me here." Atemu obediently rose but still looked down, ashamed that he didn't realize who she was quicker.

Hikari jumped down from the goddess's arms and rubbed against Atemu's leg. He smiled down at her and reached down to pick her up.

"We heard you." Atemu froze, remembering what he had said before blacking out. "And we forgive you. The desperation you felt echoed throughout the skies. We do not blame you for your outburst. Anyone would be depressed when their soul mate is taken so abruptly."

"Thank you for your forgiveness. I do not deserve it." The goddess motioned for Atemu to follow her. He picked up Hikari and followed Bastet from the room.

The rooms seemed to remind him of Yuugi. Maybe it was just grief or maybe insanity, but Atemu kept seeing Yuugi over and over again. It was tearing his aching heart to bits each time he saw Yuugi's brilliant eyes.

Finally, they came to a stop in the biggest room Atemu had seen yet. The ceiling was so high; Atemu had to crane his neck to see it. Sections of the room were different for some reason.

"Welcome, son of Ra." Atemu was promptly glanced forward. He fell to his knees and bowed. Some of the gods chuckled. Normally, Atemu would get angry if someone laughed at him. Given the fact that he was being laughed at by gods made it worse. But a pleasantly numb sensation occupied his body since the light faded from Yuugi's eyes. His emotions were bleeding away. And there was nothing he could do about it.

In a way, this numb feeling helped him. He felt no pain, no grief, no anger. He felt absolutely nothing on the inside. All he wanted was the warm feeling Yuugi gave him. Atemu felt cold… chillingly cold and pleasantly numb. It was a horrid combination.

"Rise." A commanding voice rang throughout the room, silencing the small chuckles. Atemu obeyed, standing slowly. Hikari stood next to Atemu's legs, unmoving.

"What is it you wish of me?" Atemu said blandly. He purposely left any respect for the deity before him out of his voice. In the back of his mind, Atemu hoped for death. His soul was bleeding from the pain in his heart. If he died, maybe he'd see Yuugi again.

"You have fulfilled your purpose. You are free. Now you have a choice."

Atemu finally looked up, meeting the deity's eyes without fear. Emotions were nothing to him now. His dead eyes bore into the other's.

"Your choices are to either depart to the afterlife or continue living."

"I only want to see my partner again. This is my heart's wish. I don't care about anything else. Everything can rot in Duat for all I care." Faintly, he could hear a few of the holy ones murmur in disappointment. He didn't care. Hikari's eyes took on a glassy stare. She swayed slightly but Atemu paid no notice.

"Very well. You shall have that wish."

Atemu wondered why he still felt nothing. Was his heart a black hole sucking all his emotions away? Not even light could escape a black hole. What good would happiness be to him if it were swept away?

Hikari staggered as if drunk. Her vibrant eyes dimmed alarmingly. She gave an extremely weak meow, which alerted Atemu. He looked down; she looked up. Their eyes met and a shock passed between them. His blood ran cold. For a moment, Atemu could only see the amethyst in Hikari's eyes. He could see Yuugi's disappoint stare and small frown. How he loathed that look. Yuugi could not hate his other but when Atemu did something foolhardy to try to protect him; Yuugi would go silent and simply stare at him.

It unnerved Atemu to no end. Yuugi's eyes bore into his, trying to make him understand. He felt himself weakening under his partner's unrelenting gaze. The message Yuugi was sending him was clear. He didn't want his lover to suffer on his behalf.

The cold numbness melted away under Yuugi's fiery gaze. He felt warmth settle in his heart, repairing it ever so slightly. Yuugi's eyes stopped staring at him so severely. With a sparkle, Yuugi's eyes returned to their silver color flecked with purple. Hikari's eyes.

Atemu choked. Yuugi left him again. He felt tears welling in his eyes and made no effort to repress them. Hikari looked at him sadly. Her magic was fueled by her masters' emotions. With one of her masters gone, she drew emotion from Atemu. When Atemu stopped feeling, it had made her weak.

A few tears fell on her fur. Atemu had picked her up when she was thinking of something else. Dutifully, she licked some of the tears away. His eyes were clenched shut as he cried. Seldom had Atemu ever shown weakness to anyone but his partner and Hikari. Now here he was, crying like a lost child in front of his old gods.

His knees had long since given way. Atemu paid it no mind. He simply mourned the loss of the one person who was his world and life.

All the gods could see the destroyed teen in front of them. He was so different from the blasé, uncaring adult they had seen before. And now they knew. They knew how much Yuugi had affected the Pharaoh's cold heart. They knew how empty he felt without his other half to love him.

Once Atemu had gotten control of his tears, Hikari jumped down from his arms. Atemu made no move to rise. He sat there but shifted his legs to prevent them from going to sleep.

"How am I going to see Yuugi again?" he asked desperately.

"We cannot bring the dead back." Any hope that Atemu had trickled away. His shoulders slumped dejectedly. "However, we can send you to a parallel universe where you do not exist. You might be able to change the events that occur there."

Atemu straightened ever so slightly, signifying that he was indeed listening. Hikari sat next to his legs, watching the deity. Her keen eyes bore in the god's, just daring him to dash her master's hope again.

"You died in the other world while sacrificing yourself. So when the other Yuugi completed the puzzle, nothing happened. You did not appear. But we can send you to that time as an adolescent. This would allow you to be closer to your partner. Be warned that this Yuugi might be completely different. You may not like it. And so, this is your last chance to move on to the afterlife."

"Would I be able to see Yuugi in the afterlife?"

"No. He was a mortal. You are a son of Ra, a king of old. He is lost to you in the next world, should you choose that way."

"I choose a mortal life."

"So be it."

Before the gods could push him into another universe, Bastet granted Hikari a few more powers. They did not know what dangers lay ahead. Being Atemu's Guardian, Hikari had to accept a few more powers. But her appearance was not altered by the absorption of the new magics.

Atemu covered his eyes as the gods started chanting. Golden light swept across the room, consuming them all. Atemu felt as if a thousand needles were pricking his skin everywhere. The pain steadily grew worse. He opened his mouth in a silent scream as his back arched. He fell backwards, unconscious before he hit the ground. Hikari collapsed next to him.

As the glow faded, so did the room. There was nothing left. Atemu and Hikari were gone, sent spiraling through the cosmos. The gods would not be able to help either in the parallel world. No one would aid him. Atemu had only his instincts and his Guardian to help him.

The greatest of Atemu's troubles had only just begun.

To Be Continued


YD: Am I evil or what? Oh, and did you recognize one line I took from the LotR movie?

HS: School is starting soon… don't expect fast updates.